CUSTOMS RETURNS.

West Coast Times, Issue 58, 17 October 1865, Page 2

CUSTOMS RETURN S.

£ s. d. Imports — For the fortnght ending the 14th instant - - - 4504 4 8 Ekpotts — Export Duty on gold from 9th to 14th instant - 870 0 0 Total'- £5374 4 8

„ The steam tug Lioness, so anxio isly expected, ias at last arrived, and her advent has been hailed with the greatest satisfaction by the whole town ; no small incouvenience during the past ten days having been experienced through the want of an efficient tug boat. The Lioness left Port Philip on the 2nd instaut, arriving at Seymour, Tasmauia, on the 4th. Here she filled up with coals, being loaded until her sponsons nearly touched ihe water, leaving aga : n on the 6th. During the two days that 'followed her departure from Seymour heavy gales from the northward prevailed, accompanied bya heavy sea, in which the Lioness was hove-to for IS hours, it being deemed not advisable to run her on "account of her being so deeply laden. She, however, proved herself a first-rate sea boat, shipping but very little water. From the Bth to the 10th, light variable winds and thick fogs prevailed, with an nnusually heavy sea running. On the 11th, spoke the Susannah Goiefroy, from JVloreton Bay, bound to Callao. The Middle Island was first sighied on. the 13th, it blowing heavily from the £.W. at the time, the Lioness again being hove-to for the night. Bore up for the roadstead on the morning of the 14th, and safely entered ihe river at six p m the same d.iy . The Lioness is a fine boat, well known in the Melbourne trade, where she has been stationed for the last eleven years. She is fitted with two disconnecting engines of thirty-horse power each, and can with ease turn round in her own length ; this alone will be no slight advantage in such an intricate channel as ours, but, considered in connection with her power as a tug, renders her invaluable to us, and will prove a fortune to her owners i£ she can only be kept afloat. Cjplaiu Cowieson brought her across, hut resigns her into the hands of her former master. Captain Whilford, who so long and so successfully worked her on the Yarra and fFobson's Bay. We sincerely trust that her career will be '«oth long and prosperous. The Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Jloyal Mail steamer Egmoiit, ,^ James Hag'ey, Commander, left Dunedin October slh, arrived at Lyttelton on the 6th, had fine weather ; left Lyttelton 7th. arrived at Nelson 1 on the iHli. Experienced strong head wind to Cape Campbell ; at 6 p.m. Bth, when near the brothers, a dense fog came on and was obliged to go Halfspeed, and at midnight stopped the engines ; at daylight it cleared away, and at 6 a.m. rounded Stephen's Island. Left Nelson October lit!), had thick dirty weather with light northerly wind first part of passage; latuer, strong S-W. •wind ; arrived off Hokitika at 11 a m., 13th. Brings 125 passengers.